I adore mashed potatoes. I love them with rich turkey gravy on Thanksgiving, I love them with a big pat of butter dripping down the sides, I love them slightly cold when I lick the serving spoon at the end of the meal... um, actually, that's really, really true.
So you can imagine my dismay when John told me relatively early in our relationship that he didn't like mashed potatoes. I know, you can pick your jaws up off the floor. It's blasphemy. It's shameful. It was nearly a dealbreaker. But I decided to give it time - clearly he just hadn't tasted the right mashed potatoes. And don't you know it, I did win him over with my mashed potatoes.
However, as time went on, I read countless recipes and tips on how to make "perfect" mashed potatoes... and I got a little insecure because my process was so different than the best practices I found - russet potatoes are best, you must use a potato ricer, you know the tips. I would try their adjustments and, you know what? I liked - and John liked - my potatoes a lot better when I just made them my way. So I now unrepentantly break all the rules of potato mashing and enjoy every bite of them - as well as the compliments from my guests!
The recipe for mashed potatoes is pretty straightforward - boil potatoes, them mush up with butter and milk, add salt to taste. There are a ton of great ways to fancy them up, like adding caremelized onions (one of my favorites), mixing in garlic cooked in butter, topping with sauteed mushrooms, drizzling with white truffle oil for a really fancy take. But all of these depend on a solid base of great tasting potatoes. Keep reading for my tips to get them.
Tip 1: Pick the right potato. Conventional wisdom says that russet potatoes are best for mashing because they have a high starch content, resulting in mealier cooked potatoes that mash more easily and smoothly. And it's true, when I use russet potatoes, I just can't get past the mealy, starchy texture, nor the lack of creamy taste. Don't get me wrong, Russet potatoes have their place - I won't use anything else for baked potatoes, and love them for potato-based soups. My favorite mashing potato is Yukon Gold. Creamy, dense, and moist, these potatoes have a natural sweetness that is just amazing. Be forewarned, if you want a heaping, light pile of pure white potatoes, these are not for you; Yukon Gold mashed potatoes are heavy and rich and decidedly yellow.
Tip 2: Boil the crap out of those suckers. Don't steam them, don't boil until "just tender," boil them like there's no tomorrow and them boil them some more. This is particularly important if you do use Yukon Golds, because their higher starch content makes them much more prone to lumps. You want to keep boiling them until the edges start crumbling apart, like this:
To make it easier to cook them this thoroughly, I peel and quarter mine first.
Tip 3: Here's where we're going to start getting a little controversial. You know that big, enormous potato ricer Williams Sonoma and Cooks Illustrated want you to use? Yeah, I have it. It takes up a ridiculous amount of my limited cabinet space... and I never use it. I never felt like I could achieve the creamy perfection I was promised by the potato ricer (maybe because of my stubborn insistence on Yukon Gold potatoes). So what do I do instead? It's a two step process, and I do both of these in the pot I boiled the potatoes in - keeps them hotter while I mash, and it's one less dish to wash. I have a kind of beat up old pot I use for this, and it works great.
First, I drop in a big hunk of butter, sprinkle with some coarse salt, and mash with a hand masher. Just a cheap one I bought at the grocery store for probably $2. The goal is to break down the potatoes as much as possible before moving to the next step, so make sure to get all the potatoe chunks out of the corners of your pot.
Next, I dump in a few glugs of half and half (or milk, or cream, depending on what I have in the fridge) and give it a good stir; your potatoes should be starting to get creamy. Then I pull out my trusty hand mixer. You heard me, hand mixer. I know, all the cooking magazines say that beating your potatoes will make them gluey - and it's true: if you mix too long, they will get a very unnatural gluey texture. However, since you mashed them by hand first you shouldn't need to beat them that long. If they seem to be getting dry at all, I add more milk / cream; you don't want your beaters working too hard or you run the risk of gluey results.
Finally, I taste for flavor and add more butter or salt as needed and give the boys a sample - perhaps the best argument for beating your potatoes is right here:
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